Close encounter with wild animals at Tintswalo

Tintswalo Safari Lodge ranger David Jacobs, along with tracker EricUbisi and a guest of the lodge, had an extremely close encounter with three young Mbiri lions this week. The encounter was captured by honeyguide ranger, Anton van Loggerenberg.

“We were out on a game drive with our guest when we spotted three young male lions on Buffalo planes,” recounts David. “We positioned our vehicle in a way that offered our guest optimal viewing, when the lions all stood up and approached the vehicle. One lay down behind the vehicle and the other one moved towards the front and briefly stopped and looked at Eric, so I was unable to back away.”

As Tintswalo Safari Lodge adheres to the strictest safety measures and precautions, the highly experienced staff knew that in this position, the best thing to do was to stay still.

Tintswalo Safari Lodge is located in Mpumalanga on the private Manyeleti Game Reserve concession – a lush, exclusive lodge nestled between the Timbavati Private Reserve to the north, Sabi Sand Reserve to the south, and open to the Greater Kruger National Park on its fenceless eastern boundary.

Resting amidst an ancient sycamore tree grove that overlooks a waterhole frequented by large herds of elephant and other big game, Tintswalo Safari Lodge is a pristine wilderness reserve abounding in big game and spectacular bird life.

There are only two commercially operated lodges based in the Manyeleti. With a maximum of eight safari vehicles traversing the reserve, each vehicle has an average of 2 937 hectares to themselves, making this one of the lowest vehicle density private reserves in the Greater Kruger Park region.

Predators found in the Thornveld region include Lion, Cheetah, Hyena, Wild dog, Leopard, and Black Backed Jackal. Grazers found here include Giraffe, Impala and Duiker, Bushbuck, Kudu, and Nyala. Wildebeest, Zebra, White Rhino, Waterbuck, and large herds of Buffalo are common on this soil type due to the abundance of quality grazing.